If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Album Club, May 2017: Paul Simon - 'There Goes Rhymin' Simon'

The Album Club choice for May comes courtesy of Martin (high.spirits) with 'There Goes Rhymin' Simon'. As always, please listen to the album in its entirety before you comment and/or vote.

My choice this time around is Paul Simon’s “There Goes Rhymin' Simon”.

This is a bit of trip down memory lane. Paul Simon has been one of my favourite artists for a long time. His original song writing and production makes him just that bit different from the average singer songwriter.

This is his third solo studio album released on May 5, 1973.

I like the flow of this album and it has a certain feel good factor.

It contains songs covering several styles and genres, such as gospel ("Loves Me Like a Rock") and Dixieland ("Take Me to the Mardi Gras").

In the United Kingdom, the album peaked at #4. Also "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" was released in the UK as a single reaching the Top 20.

The song "Kodachrome" is named after the Kodak film of the same name. Kodak required the album to note that Kodachrome is a trademark of Kodak. The song was not released as a single in Britain, where it could not be played on BBC radio due to its trademarked name. Crazy or what by today’s standards!

The song "Was a Sunny Day" has an interesting reference to early rock and roll in the line "She called him Speedo but his Christian name was Mr. Earl" which echoes the chorus from the 1955 song "Speedo" by The Cadillacs: "They often call me Speedo but my real name is Mr. Earl," referring to lead singer, Earl "Speedo" Carroll.

I quite enjoyed this album after a few listens and as a whole i thought it works well and there are some nice tunes on it. If you didn't know paul Simon was a good song writer already. I must admit I've always been a Simon and garfunkel fan, much more than his solo work.

I always think paul Simon is a great singer and songwriter but his attempts at modern arrangements (for the time) are questionable. When he keeps it simple it really does work. So the acoustic number on this album 'st judys comet' really stands out for me. But when he tries too hard on 'tenderness' to try and come cross over into a big band crooning number, assuming he wrote this, it doesn't work as well as his basic folksy stuff. Take me to the Mardi Gras works better as a pop type country and western track for my tastes, but again it goes off of what he does best. Folk.

But the problem with this album for me is just this. If you've listened to him at his best with Simon and garfunkel and classical folk, in something like the album 'bridge over troubled water', it's a bit like owning a Ferrari and then going to a BMW with this album - it's won't be regarded as good as simply the ownership before was much better.

But it's often difficult for artists to really work as a solo artist, experimenting with styles, when they've found their name elsewhere. So albums like Graceland are just a bit annoying for me. Where he does too much, it detracts from the simplicity of his songwriting talent because at heart I think he is a folk writer. And what paul simon does best is write melodies and when he gets it right, boy does he - eg something like 'el condor pasa'

So if 10/10 was the quality of tracks like the boxer or bridge over troubled water etc, these tracks cannot consistently match that quality. So it's not a 10/10 for me. I'd give it 7/10. I definitely buy it but it suits a mood and it's definitely good, but not the best of his work.

I've neglected the Album Club for far too long now, and I'm going to rectify it this month and start with this album on Spotify in the next few days.

Threads like this really do give me food for thought, and this is where Spotify (and others of course) come into their own. I've bought many a CD off the back of reading various forums and giving an album an initial listen on Spotify. Likewise, I've also saved a ton by NOT buying certain albums I had intended to buy after listening on Spotify first.

I like everything really. From the britpop bands like UB40 right back to classic rock, like Wings. They're only the band the Beatles could have been.

I've never really taken much notice of Paul Simon, but to my surprise, I liked this. A good mix of tunes. Best tracks for me were 'Something So Right' and ' One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor'. A bit Steely Dan. Overall a good choice. Will get further listens. 7/10. Thanks for the suggestion.